“For in the final analysis our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children’s future, and we are all mortal.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Monday, October 21, 2013

The United States of America owes Mr. Ted Cruz, freshman Republican senator from Texas a big thank-you. He has done this country a massive favor. The strident Texan (by way of Canada), has through his dedicated assault on the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) crystallized the Republican Party's thought processes and behavior in a manner that only one who is blind, deaf and illiterate could not see. Mr. Cruz's efforts, which resulted in a government shutdown for over two weeks have shown a spotlight on the reality of the Republican Party's objectives of the 21st century.

Before Mr. Cruz, the GOP could somewhat hide under the cover of being the "loyal opposition". But no more. Mr. Cruz and his band of merry-men including Mike Lee (R-Utah) have ripped the bandage off the wound. They have shown the GOP for what they are: Destruction oriented politicians. Their hatred of this president has grown to the point of obsession. The GOP has, since President Obama was elected made it clear they would oppose every effort the President made to enact policy, but this recent example has become something more. The Republicans have consistently worn a mantle of "fiscal responsibility" blaming Democrats for financial malfeasance in dealing with the country's budget. They have accused "big-spending Democrats" for exploding the debt and deficit and have pleaded with the country to follow their lead of austerity and tax-cuts. Mr. Romney's failed election bid was built on a notion of just getting the government out of the way of business and everything would be fine. However, this "Cruz Crew" has taken things to a new level. They have decided it is better to not have a government at all than to allow that "insidious and disaster in the making" health care plan to be implemented.

Cruz, through his antics (faux-filibuster, "secret" meeting with 30-40 like-minded members of the US House of Representatives) has clarified the GOP for us today. No longer a party of reasonable people with conservative views on the government and economy, the GOP has become a group of zealots who have made it their mission to destroy a president and nothing whatsoever will stop them. Mr. Cruz derided the Republicans in the US Senate for voting to open the government and raise the debt ceiling. He accused them of being weak-kneed and if they had just stood with those "brave and courageous" members of the House, they could have carried the day. Mr. Cruz doesn't give a damn about the US Senate. He doesn't give a damn about the US House of Representatives. He cares about destroying ObamaCare. The reason he cares about destroying ObamaCare is that he wants to be President of the United States.

Unlike Mr. Romney, who had the unfortunate fact of having implemented ObamaCare when it was known as RomneyCare, and which has been a success in getting people covered and having access to insurance and health care in Massachusetts, Mr. Cruz has no such baggage. He is free to label this as "socialism" and "government run amok". Mr. Cruz is not stupid. He knows and in fact has said that there is a window of opportunity against ObamaCare, stating that "Once it's implemented, and people begin to like it, we'll never be able to get rid of it." Think about that. He's essentially endorsed the program in a backhanded way.

Forget about the fact that the program is a Republican born policy. The framework was published as a response to the health care policy attempts of the Clinton administration in the early 1990's by the Heritage Foundation. Adopted and put in place by Mitt Romney during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, the policy is a sweetheart deal to insurance companies. Mr. Cruz though, will have none of this. He will not admit one benefit of the program of which there are many. He will not admit it will have a positive impact on the cost-curve of health care expense which it is already doing. He will admit nothing positive about the program. As a result, he is pulling the GOP along with him in his "Zealot Express" train that will not acknowledge anything except that the law needs to be repealed. The Republicans have been solid in their opposition of the law, attempting to repeal it more than 40 times in spite of an election that confirmed the people choose it over the GOP solution (which there is none), a Supreme Court affirming its constitutionality, and poll after poll showing that the US population approve of the components of the law even if they don't like the overall policy.

There are Republicans in the Congress who aren't as visibly strident about this as Mr. Cruz is, but just as committed to denying this President any success as the vocal Texan. Starting from the day of the election in 2008, Eric Cantor and other members of the GOP decided not to cooperate with the President. Think about that for a moment. They willfully decided to obstruct and attempt to deny this President any success. How messed up is that? As a leader in the government, members of Congress are sworn by their oath of office to defend and uphold the U.S. Constitution. Well, last time I checked there was a whole section in the Constitution about the executive branch. Committing to deny the executive branch success is in my view an abrogation of their oath of office. The government is not set up so one party can deny success of the other party. It is set up to govern. This group of Republicans have shown their stripes. They don't want to govern. They want to deny and obstruct. They want to be destructive. They want failure. They want shutdown. It's taken Cruz and his efforts to display this for all to see, but now it has to be understood that the GOP is not the loyal opposition, defending policy because they legitimately believe it is in the best interest of the country. They are a group of people so angry that this President was elected that they will do anything in their power to deny him any measure of success. They will sink the economy. They will hurt people intentionally. They are blind with rage and purpose. They are in a word: fanatics.

So thank you Mr. Cruz. Thank you for showing us what your group of compatriots really are. We will remember this come 2014. And by the way, the notion you have a snowball's chance in hell of being President in 2017? I think you can kiss that good bye.

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About Me

50 years and change, father of 3 who lives in the North Texas area. Have been crazy about politics, golf, horses, single malt whisky, cigars, etc. for years. Have a terrific wife who puts up with all my crap. The kids are terrific as kids usually are.